מערכה ראשונה? הדיון על גיוס תלמידי ישיבות ארץ ישראל במלחמת העולם השנייה

In the Israeli academic, legal, and public discourse, the issue of exempting yeshivas tudents from army service is often presented as having its roots in 1948. In this article, however, I highlight a discussion that actually began in 1939 and continued during the years of World War II. The deliberations, questions, and arguments raised at that time resurfaced in subsequent decades. The article focuses on the efforts of several individuals, Chief Rabbi Herzog leading the way, to exempt yeshiva students in Eretz Israel from enlisting in the British Army and from carrying out other obligations that the Yishuv institutions imposed on men of relevant ages.Surprisingly, the Chief Rabbinate of Palestine had already reached an agreement in 1939 to involve itself in the issue of recruiting yeshiva students. The various reasons for demanding an exemption from enlistment are examined in the article,the primary argument being that the yeshivas of Eretz Israel served as surrogates for the world of Torah that was being destroyed in Europe. This contention emerged as early as 1939. In another significant argument added later, it was suggested that yeshiva students should be likened to students in theological training institutions in the United States and England, who were exempted from military service. I also touch the limited public debate that occurred during the war years regarding